ABC's "Sunday 20/20: The Sixth Sense" is the Most-Watched Show in its 2-Hour Slot

WEEK No. 50:

ABC beat out its network rivals during the week of August 29, 2011 among Adults 18-49 (1.4/4), outpacing CBS by 8% (1.3/4), NBC by 17% (1.2/4) and Fox by 27% (1.1/3). Additionally, the Net ranked No. 1 for the week with Adults 25-54 (tie) and key Men (M18-49/M25-54). The Net aired 5 of the week's Top 15 programs among Adults 18-49: "Saturday Night Football" - No. 4, "Bachelor Pad" and "Wipeout-TUES" tied at No. 10, while "Modern Family" and "Modern Family SP-8/31" tied at No. 15. In addition to placing among the Top 5 shows with young adults, the 6th-season premiere of ABC's "Saturday Night Football" stood as the week's No. 1 program across the key Men demos. ABC claimed the No. 1 newsmagazine for the 3rd week in a row with key Adults (AD25-54/AD18-49), as "Primetime Nightline" delivered the top spot.

· The Net matched its highest-rated week since the beginning of June among Adults 18-49 and also posted 12-week highs across all key Men (M18-34/M18-49/M25-54) - since w/o 6/6/11.

· ABC built its overall audience year to year for the 2nd week in a row (3rd time in 4 weeks), gaining 4% over the year-ago week (4.8 million vs. 4.6 million on w/o 8/30/10) and qualifying as the only net to show an increase in viewership.

Featuring "Bachelor Pad" with the announcement of the cast for Season 13 of "Dancing with the Stars" and a repeat "Castle," ABC gained 6% week to week (5.7 million vs. 5.4 million) to stand as the most-watched TV network on Monday night.

· ABC grew its overall Monday audience year to year for the 4th straight week, topping the same night last year with an all-original schedule by 6% (5.4 million on 8/30/10).

"Bachelor Pad" (8:00-10:01 p.m.)

ABC's "Bachelor Pad" topped its 8:00-10:00 p.m. time period (6.5 million) by a margin of 1.5 million viewers over its nearest competition (5.0 million - NBC). The ABC unscripted series finished as Monday's most-watched broadcast program.

· "Bachelor Pad" built its overall audience year to year for the 4th week in a row, rising 5% over the year-ago evening (6.2 million).

"Castle" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)

For the 3rd week running, ABC's repeat "Castle" grew its hour year to year among Total Viewers (+5% - 4.0 million vs. 3.8 million), outdrawing original programming on the year-ago evening ( "Dating in the Dark").

Tuesday

"Wipeout" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

ABC's repeat "Wipeout" won Tuesday's 8 o'clock hour in Adults 18-49 (2.0/6), defeating encores of CBS' "NCIS" by 43% (1.4/4) and Fox's "Glee" by 150% (0.8/3). In addition, the replay ABC unscripted series topped NBC's original unscripted series ("It's Worth What?") by 67% in young adults (1.2/4). The broad-appealing "Wipeout" finished as the top-rated broadcast show in the time slot with Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11 for the 5th straight week.

· For the 2nd week in a row, "Wipeout" matched summer highs for ABC in the hour among Adults 18-49.

Wednesday

Delivering its 3rd straight week of gains, ABC, with its lineup of four repeat comedies and an original "Primetime Nightline," hit a 13-week high on Wednesday night among Adults 18-49 (1.5/4) - since 6/1/11.

"The Middle" (8:30-9:00 p.m.)

At 8:30 p.m., ABC's rebroadcast "The Middle" soared over its most-recent airing (7/13/11) in the half-hour by 33% in Adults 18-49 (1.2/4 vs. 0.9/3), matching its best repeat performance in the time slot in 13 weeks - since 6/1/11.

· The two "Modern Family" replays tied as Wednesday's No. 1 scripted show on the major nets in Adults 18-49.

· The 9:00 p.m. telecast of "Modern Family" (1.8/5) was the show's 2nd-highest-rated in the half-hour among young adults since early June (since 6/1/11), while the second encore (1.8/5) hit a 13-week high in its time slot (since 6/1/11).

· The sophomore ABC drama continued to improve its time period for ABC year to year, up in Total Viewers (+14% - 4.1 million vs. 3.6 million), Adults 18-49 (+22% - 1.1/3 vs. 0.9/3) and Adults 25-54 (+8% - 1.3/3 vs. 1.2/3) over the year-ago evening ("Nightline Primetime: Secrets of Your Mind" on 9/2/10).

Saturday

The sixth-season premiere of "Saturday Night Football," featuring Oregon vs. LSU, took ABC to a solid No. 1 on Saturday evening in Total Viewers (7.9 million) and across each of the key adult demographics: Adults 18-34 (2.5/11), Adults 18-49 (2.7/10) and Adults 25-54 (3.1/10). In fact, ABC beat the other major networks combined (CBS, NBC, and Fox) in Adults 18-49 by 29% (2.7/10 vs. 2.1/7).

· "Saturday Night Football" easily qualified as the No. 1 TV show on Saturday among Total Viewers (7.8 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.7/10).

· Growing over its year-ago season opener (LSU at North Carolina on 9/4/10 = 4.3 million and 1.6/6) by 81% in viewers and by 69% in young adults, ABC's "Saturday Night Football" delivered its 2nd-strongest premiere since its debut on the Net in Fall 2006.

· In viewers and young adults, the Network posted its strongest Saturday in 4 months - since 5/7/11.

From 9:00-11:00 p.m., ABC's "Sunday 20/20: The Sixth Sense" qualified as the most-watched TV program in its 2-hour time period (4.7 million). The newsmagazine features stories of extraordinary instinct that uncover the truth.

Source: The Nielsen Company, National, Live+ Same Day Program Ratings, week of 8/29/11. Summer 2011 = Most Current Program Ratings, 5/30/11-9/4/11.